


What It Means to Love Someone

by velenarthur



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/F, F/M, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Male Character, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Sadness, Time Travel, actually lots of angst, humor in dark times, inspired by a couple of tumblr posts, lines up with game events, modern age items make it to the wild west, phones in 1899?, pls read my work, really cool fic idea, sorta angsty, the only thing that isn't canon are the events my oc has with the gang members, yes there will be hookups, yes there will be romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-14 00:22:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20183149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velenarthur/pseuds/velenarthur
Summary: Don't stumble into the wrong places, or you'll end up where you shouldn't be.-Maxine, nineteen, is a history major with a soft spot for old cowboy-looking homes. When she goes on a camping trip with some of her friends up in the Grizzlies, she trespasses into an old homestead cabin. But this cabin is hiding something, and it's hiding something like magic. It just happens to be that time travel is a real thing and not a sci-fi concept in television. Maxine discovers this first hand, and she's able to experience the time of the infamous Van der Linde gang.





	What It Means to Love Someone

A perfect fall weekend. Maxine Guire thought it would be a perfect fall weekend to go up near Valentine for camping. Of course, she wouldn’t forget her friends. The weather is perfect. It’s never been perfect before, and Maxine can never tell since she lives in Saint Denis. It’s always wishy-washy, but this time she knows it’s spectacular up north. Her apartment is right above a historical saloon museum, next to the city park downtown, and she can’t wait to get away from all of it. Maxine loves it, but a break is long overdue.

She pulled her phone out of her shorts pocket and pulled up the weather app. “Valentine: Friday, 50°F. Saturday, 48°F. Sunday, 52°F.” Just what she wanted to see. Cool weather makes it perfect for sleeping in a tent, with layers and layers of blankets and sweatpants and sweatshirts. Winter doesn’t come very often in the Bayou and after her family moved south for a new work opportunity, she’s longed for her childhood cabin home in the Grizzlies ever since. Valentine is close to home.

There are only two other people who would be down for a weekend camping trip with Max: her girlfriend, Miriam, and an old friend still living up in Ambarino, Antonio. Max texted both of them, telling them to grab their backpacks and meet at the Cabela’s near the Heartlands. Then, they would drive up north to O’Creagh’s Run Conservation Area. Nearly fifty years ago, a law was put into place to stop deforestation and pollution of water. That’s when it was made into a government-controlled area. It’s all good, now. It’s a local favorite, and so underrated. It’s changed a lot since the early 1900s, says the history books. 

Maxine had to finish packing up her own bag. First aid kit, a refillable water bottle with a filter, some back-up clothes, and her portable phone charger. She was then good to go. She went out of her room to say goodbye to her mom, her sister, and her Pomeranian pup Fluffle. Maxine grabbed her car keys, grabbed her baseball cap, and headed out the door.

\---

They made it through Cabela’s without getting too distracted from all types of taxidermy, and they were ready to make the drive up into the wilderness. It wasn’t too far; perhaps a couple of hours. The western expansion made its way through these areas in the past. Maxine, being a history major, thinks the best thing about learning about history is living in places where it happened firsthand. Lots of people agree with her on this. 

Lots of humorous rambling and blasting of old country radio made the car ride less tiring. 

“Now, Antonio, I need you to understand that Miri and I will not be letting you sleep in our tent if there are bears,” Maxine laughed. Miriam smiled at what Maxine was referencing.  
“I was eight! You can’t tell me that an eight year old can defend himself from a big, black bear,” Antonio responded. 

“Oh, children are so powerful. You have no idea. They’re always up to something.”

“You’re gay! You know nothing about kids!” Antonio shouted back in a light-hearted manner and Miriam clutched her chest from laughing so hard.

“I’m bi, so let’s get one thing straight. Secondly, I doubt the bears will want to be near us. We know how to prevent them from coming around, unlike other campers.”

“You’re right,” Miriam pitched in.

They all shortly arrived to their reserved spot. It was near an old cabin that was blocked off due to “unsafe conditions,” whatever those were. That cabin has been in top-notch shape for who-knows-how-long. The three of them have been there before and they’ve only been caught once. Just a warning, no fine. But there’s been more graffiti on the outside walls than before and it’s upsetting to Maxine. It’s a cute little home and it would be a shame for it to actually get ruined due to vandalism.

It overlooked the lake of O’Creagh’s Run, and it’s absolutely beautiful. Massive fish live in it and you can always take a boat out to the island in the middle of it for a picnic on the rocks. Max had an idea to go eat their packed lunch on those rocks tomorrow. But first: adventure called. She wanted to break a rule for once and go see what happened to the mysterious cabin this time. Surely, it wasn’t anything major, but you never know. 

She went back to camp and saw Antonio struggling to put up his tent. He’s done it a million times before, though. Maxine offered some help.

“Dude, the rod goes in this little sleeve. Did you forget how to put up a tent?” Maxine smiled.

“No, Max, I got it completely under control.”

“Alrighty. Have it your way. I’ll, uh, be at that little cabin over there. You know the one. I’ll be back in a few! Just want to venture around,” Maxine patted his shoulder and went to give Miriam a quick kiss on the cheek. She was off.

\---

Wolves were howling. Maxine looked up at the mountains in the distance and there was just a lone wolf. She made eye contact with the creature and it walked away after a few seconds. That wasn’t odd at all.

The mysterious cabin had a fenced-off area with a fishnet hanging off of a stick feature. A boat was propped up against the backside of the fence, and a woodworking table was in the other corner, the corner closest to the house. There was also a closet-type space that had a door, but there was no handle. Maxine wiggled the back door handle, but it was locked. So she tried the front door. It was locked too.

Luckily, she was tall enough to peek into the window next to the back door. No one was inside, as usual. The front door was locked too. Was she about to kick open the door? Perhaps. There were no other campers in this area of the conservation area so maybe she could justify her breaking-and-entering a little bit. Just a little, however. 

She thought to herself, “to hell with it,” and used all of her leg strength to bust the door open. Everything looked new, in a sort of way. Vintage, but new. Obviously, the cabin hasn’t been occupied in so long but it’s like it was preserved. Was it the park rangers who preserved it? Probably not. They don’t even step foot in here.

“Well, if I’m already here, might as well snoop around,” Maxine said. She opened up the cabinets in the small kitchen. Nothing but freshly bought cans of vegetables and fruit. Freshly. Bought. The labels have no dirt or dust on them and the steel can has no signs of rust. Max didn’t think too much of it. There have most likely been no signs of age because it’s been underneath a sink for so long and had no exposure to anything. 

What was next to the bed? There seemed to be a chest. Without thinking twice that she has not only trespassed, but is basically committing a robbery, she noticed that there was a small jewelry bag, a money clip, and some bourbon. The money clip had dollar bills that were from the late 1800s. How exciting! A piece of history was in her hands. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be much due to modern-day inflation. 

Maxine needed to head back to her girlfriend and friend, so she closed all the cabinets and put everything back, except for the money clip. But as she headed out the back door, a man put a gun to her head.

“Who are you?” The stranger asked. He was still as a statue and had a firmness in his voice.

“I, uh, it’s not what it looks like, sir,” Maxine held her hands up. The money clip was in her back pocket. 

“Well, it ain’t lookin’ good, miss. Where ya from?” 

“Saint Denis. I’m with some friends, camping out here.”

“I ain’t seen anyone else out here,” The man turned his head to look around, and Maxine looked at what he was. She noticed that there were no tents laid out where she was supposed to be staying. Strangely enough, a horse pulling a wagon was on a trail next to the camping spot.

“That’s - that’s a trail. Not an asphalt road,” Maxine stuttered in shock. Where the hell was she? And what is this man doing, thinking he can hold a gun up to an innocent nineteen-year-old?

“What’s asphalt, miss?” 

This guy was delusional. Or was Maxine delusional? Either way, she’s had enough. She made an attempt to disarm the older man with a skill she learned in a self-defense class. But she failed. In an instant, she was knocked out. Unconscious.


End file.
